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A case/control study was made to evaluate occupational exposure to solvents or lead (7439921) and resulting dementia, clinically indistinguishable from dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Cases were obtained from a veterans hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts. All were male patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's type dementia (DAT). These cases were included solely on the basis of clinical presentation. Direct questions and a semi open ended questionnaire were used to solicit information on previous occupational exposure to organic solvents and/or lead. Questions concerned the subject's work in one or more of 18 industrial categories along with specifying job titles and dates of employment in those industries. DAT patients had a slightly higher educational level than comparison subjects and had held slightly more jobs. Those with a clear and significant workplace exposure to organic solvents suffered from no appreciable excess risk of DAT. To control for a possible response bias, an evaluation was also made based upon the occupations listed in the Massachusetts townbooks of registered voters. For a total of 54 cases and 231 matched comparisons, an analysis indicated a slight deficit of DAT patients among those who had been employed in occupations involving a clear and significant exposure to organic solvents. Possible explanations for these results were discussed.